Press Release, 25.11.2019

On 25 November, the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women, supporters of the Yabloko party held an action in the centre of Kazan, the Republic of Tatarstan, in support of the law on prevention of domestic violence in Russia.

Participants of the rally stood in pickets with placards: “ You can’t keep silent ”, “ Smile and endure. Do not provoke “, “Be patient and be silent”, “Beating does not mean love! No to domestic violence. ”

Marina Shoetova, a picket participant, said that “in Russia a woman cannot feel protected, because stereotypes based on the principles “beating means love ” and “ beating means she is guilty ” are still preserved in society.

“For the same reason, we do not have a law on domestic violence. The absence of a law unties the hands of many violent people who always go unpunished and find realisation of their inclinations in people who can not answer. Domestic violence, in couples, is unacceptable in modern society. Today we decided to draw attention to this problem,” Shoetova says.

Another participant in the rally, Gulnaz Ravilova, recalls that Russia is the last of the Council of Europe countries that “has not yet adopted a law on domestic violence”, despite the fact that “every fourth Russian woman faces it”.

“Our state is simply pretending that domestic violence does not exist. And in 2017, domestic violence completely ceased to be a crime [in Russia]. Only an administrative fine is now being issued for this – along with parking or smoking in the wrong place,” Ravilova notes.

According to her, Russia needs a law on the prevention of domestic violence, because it has been a “case of private prosecution” only.

“That is, the victim herself must report to the police, then she herself must prove that she is the victim – on her own resources. Victims of domestic violence simply do not have any physical or psychological strength to do this. And the aggressor is provided with a lawyer free of charge for our taxes. The accusation should be public in nature,” Gulnaz Ravilova says.

According to the activists of the Yabloko party in Tatarstan, “There is considerable resistance to the adoption of this law by conservatively and “traditionally-minded MPs and organisations. Opponents of the initiative, which for the first time in Russian history can protect victims and punish those responsible [for violence], call it a threat to some “family values” and, apparently, want to exercise their “values” in practice, threatening the authors of the bill.”

Also on this day, activists of the Yabloko party held a similar action in the centre of Moscow.

It should be noted that a draft law on the prevention of domestic violence, which provides, in particular, introduction of the institution of protective orders and temporary shelters for victims, has been already submitted to the State Duma. The Yabloko party demands immediate adoption of this law.